Oil well mast collapsible gin pole



April 2, 1957 H. -.1. WOOLSLAYER EIAL 2,787,339

OIL WELL. MAST COLLAPSIBLE cm POLE Filed Feb. 10, 1954 4 2 Sheets-Sheet l flQ/L INVEN TORS #mtl? J baucayzq Gen. Jewkws flaw, Ma a-4 @564.

April 2, 1957 H. J. WOOLSLAYER ETAL 2,787,339

OIL WELL MAST COLLAPSIBLE GIN POLE Filed Feb. 10, 1954 2 SheetsSheet 2 I I I all/IN W gum-n, My), 9/54} Q mm Y behind the mast.

United States Patent OIL WELL MAST COLLAPSIBLE GIN POLE Homer J. Woolslayer, Cecil Jenkins, and Calvin L. Turner, Tulsa, Okla, and Erwin A. Campbell, Wexford, Pa., assignors to Lee C. Moore Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 10, 1954, Serial No. 409,312 9 Claims. (Cl. 189-15) tions have to be made after the gin pole starts to rise until the mast has reached its upright position.

In accordance with this invention, a gin pole for raising an oil well mast has, in its collapsed position, reclining front and rear sides, with the front side overlying the rear side. rear end of the rear side are pivotally connected with a base, to which the foot of a forwardly extending reclining mast is hinged in front of the gin pole. A vertical roller is carried by the front end of the reclining rear side of the gin pole and is received in a track extending back along the front side. The rear end of the front side carries a sheave. A line is connected to the 'front part of the rear side of the gin pole and extends back and up around the sheave and then forward. When the line is pulled forward the rear side of the gin pole will be swung upward as the pressure of the roller against the track simultaneously swings the front side upward to erect the gin pole. The front part of the line is connected to the traveling block of the reclining mast. Consequently, as soon as the gin pole has been .erected, continued pulling of the traveling block on the line will cause the mast to swing upward and backward untilit rest-s against the front of the gin pole. The mast then can be fastened to the gin pole by suitable fastening members.

The preferred embodiment of the-invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view .of areclining mast, showing the gin pole partly raised; a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear view of the gin pole after it has been raised but before the mast has been raised, all

'of the cables being omitted for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the upper end of the erectedgin pole; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are back and front views; respectively, of the gin pole taken; on the'lines lV-IV andV-V of Fig.3.

Referring to the drawings, the feet of a reclining'mast 1 are pivotallymounted on hinge pins 2 in a pair of laterally spaced shoes 3 .on a base 4 of any suitable construction. The mast illustrated preferably has, an open lower face as is customary. Inside of the mast there is a travel-- ing block 6 which 'is connectedto thecrown 'block (not showny by a drilling line 7-that alsoextends from {the crown block back overfthe 'recliningmast and a sheave Bite the irsual-drawworksdrum 9' rnounted on the base Pivotal-1y mounted on a pin 11 mounted in the upper The front end of the front side and the v 2,787,339 Patented Apr. 2, 1957 end of each of the shoes and in a shoe plate spaced inwardly therefrom, is the front end of one of the front legs of a collapsible gin pole. Each leg preferably has side members 12 and 13 formed from metal channels, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Outer channels 12 of both legs are parallel to each other, but inner channels 13 preferably are inclined relative to the outer channels so that each leg tapers toward its free end which carries a sheave 14. While the gin pole is collapsed, each front leg reclines over a reclining rear leg 15, the rear end of which is pivotally mounted on pins 16 supported by shoe plates 17 mounted on the base behind the front shoes, as shown in Fig. 2. Attached to the outside of the front end of each rear leg by means of a spacing block 18 (Fig. 4) is a forwardly extending plate 19 that has an upwardly projecting front end (Fig. 3). Projecting inward from this front end is a vertical roller 21 which extends into the adjoining outer channel 12 of a front leg. Welded along the flanges of the outer channels are inwardly projecting metal strips 22 which hold the pellets in those channels. Consequently, the outer channels form tracks for the rollers.

Near the front end of each of the reclining rear legs there is an upwardly projecting lug 23, to which one of the ends of a sling line or cable 24 is connected. The sling extends back beneath the overlying front legs of the gin pole and then up around sheaves 14. From there the sling extends forward over sheaves 26, journaled in the opposite sides of the mast, and under another pair of sheaves 27' and then is looped over the book of the traveling block.

When the drawworks is operated to reel in the drilling line 8, the pull of the traveling block on sling 24 tends to lift the front ends of the rear legs 15 of the gin pole, and as they rise the rollers 21 press upward on the upper flanges of channels 12 and thereby swing the front legs upward as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. Continued pulling of the sling forward causes the rising rollers to move upward along the front leg tracks and thereby push the front legs up and forward until the gin pole reaches the position shown in broken lines in Fig. l, where the rollers are stopped by curved bars 28 (Fig. 3) mounted in the tracks near their upper ends.

As soon as the rear gin pole legs 15 can rise no farther, the pull of the traveling block against the sling causes the mast to be swung upward and backward until it rests against the front of the gin pole, as shown in broken lines in Fig. l. The top of the gin pole has no cross member, so the drilling line is free to move from its full line position upward between the front legs of the gin pole and back between its rear legs to the broken line position. There is no danger of the mast causing the gin pole to collapse even though the front and rear legs of the pole are not locked together, because the angle between the front and rear legs of the gin pole is less than This means that in order for the rear legs to swing down to the base, they must swing the front legs forward temporarily before the latter can swing down, and that cannot be done as long as the mast is leaning back against the gin pole. Before or even after the tension on the sling is released, splice pins are driven through apertured forks 30 at the upper ends of the rear gin pole legs and through perforated tongues 31 projecting from the back of the mast into the forks. This locks the gin pole and mast in upright position. The sling is removed from the traveling block and tied to the back of the mast where itwill not be in the way, and the mast is ready to operate.

To lower the mast, the procedure just outlined is re versed, but after the gin pole forks and cooperating mast tongues have been disconnected from each other, the'mast is pulledforward over center by a suitable line (not shown) connected to the front of it, until gravity takes effect. the drilling line from the drawworks drum until the mast reaches its lower position. After that the operator continues to pay out the line so that the gin pole can collapse of its own weight. The weight of the descending gin pole legs causes the sling to drag the traveling block back toward the foot of the mast.

It will be seen that during erection there is no interruption or manual operation from the time that the gin pole starts to rise until the mast is erect. It is one continuous operation, requiring no change in the lines or manual connections or disconnections. All of the power is supplied by the drawworks through the drilling line and traveling block.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. An oil well mast collapsed gin pole comprising reclining front and rear sides with the front side overlying the rear side, means pivotally supporting the front end of the front side and the rear end of the rear side, a vertical roller carried by the front end of the rear side, a track engaging the top of the roller and secured to and extending back along the front side, a sheave carried by the rear end of the front side, and a line connected to the front part of the rear side and extending back and around the sheave and then forward, whereby when the line is pulled forward the rear side of the gin pole will be swung upward and behind as the pressure of said roller against said track simultaneously swings the front side upward and forward to erect the gin pole.

2. A gin pole in accordance with the preceding claim, in which said roller is supported at only one side and said track extends across diametrically opposite portions of the roller.

3. An oil well mast collapsed gin pole comprising reclining front and rear pairs of laterally spaced legs, the front legs overlying the rear legs, means pivotally supporting the front ends of the front legs and the rear ends of the rear legs, a vertical roller carried by the front end of each rear leg, a track secured to and extending lengthwise of each front leg and across the top of the adjoining roller, a sheave carried by the rear end of 'each front leg, and cable means connected to the front part of each rear leg and extending back and around the sheave behind and then forward, whereby forward tension on said cable means will swing the rear legs upward and behind as the pressure of the rollers against the adjoining tracks simultaneously swings the front legs upward and forward to erect the gin pole.

4. A portable oil well derrick comprising a base, a reclining mast having a foot hinged to the base and extending forward therefrom, reclining front and rear pairs of laterally spaced gin pole legs, the front legs overlying the rear legs, means on the base pivotally supporting the front ends of the front legs and the rear ends of the rear legs, the rear legs being shorter than the distance between said supporting means, a vertical roller carried by the front end of each rear leg, a track secured to and extending lengthwise of each front leg and across the top of the adjoining roller, a sheave carried by the rear end of each front leg, a sling line having its ends connected to the front part of each rear leg and extending back and up around the sheave behind and then forward, the front part of the line being adapted to be pulled forward to lift the rear gin pole legs and thereby cause the rollers to force the tracks and front legs upward to erect the gin pole, and means for detachably connecting the upper end of the erected gin pole to the mast after the latter has been swung upward and back against the gin pole.

The mast then is lowered by paying out' 5. A derrick in accordance with claim 4, in which said connecting means include cooperating members connected to the mast and the front ends of said rear legs and provided with registering holes for receiving fastening members.

6. A derrick in accordance with claim 4, in which the length of the legs is such that the angle between the front and rear legs of the erected gin pole is less than degrees, whereby the front legs must swing forward temporarily to permit the rear legs to be lowered.

7. well drilling structure comprising a base, a reclining mast having a foot hinged to the base and extending forward therefrom, a traveling block near the foot of the mast, a line connecting the block with the head of the mast, a collapsed gin pole above the base having reclining pairs of front and rear legs with the front legs overlying the rear legs, means hinging the front end of the front legs to the base adjacent the mast foot, sheaves carried by the opposite end of the front legs, means hinging the rear ends of the rear legs to the base, vertical rollers carried by the front ends of the rear legs, the distance between said front and rear hinging means being greater than the distance between the rear hinging means and said rollers, tracks engaging the top of said rollers and secured to and extending back along the front legs, a sling fastened to the front ends of the rear legs and extending back and up around said sheaves and then forward into the mast for connection to the traveling block, whereby when the block is pulled away from the base the sling connected to the block lifts the rear gin pole legs and thereby swings the front gin pole legs upward to erect the gin pole, and means for detachably connecting the upper end of the erected gin pole to the mast after the latter has been swung upward and back to the gin pole by means of said traveling block and sling.

8. A structure as defined in claim 7, in which said connecting means include interfitting tongues and forks joined to the mast and the front ends of said rear legs and provided with aligned transverse holes for splice pins.

9. A well drilling structure comprising a base, a reclining mast having a foot hinged to the base and extending forward therefrom, a traveling block near the foot of the mast, a line connecting the block with the head of the mast, a collapsed gin pole above the base having reclining pairs of front and rear legs with the front legs overlying the rear legs, means hinging the front end of the front legs to the base adjacent the mast foot, sheaves carried by the opposite end of the front legs, means hinging the rear ends of the rear legs to the base, a laterally opening channel-like track secured to and extending along the outer side of each front leg, a vertical roller rotatably mounted in each track and pivotally mounted in the front end of the adjoining rear leg, a sling fastened to the front ends of the rear legs and extending back and up around said sheaves and then forward into the mast for connection to the traveling block, whereby when the block is pulled away from the base the sling connected to the block lifts the rear gin pole legs and thereby swings the front gin pole legs upward to erect the gin pole, and means for detachably connecting the upper end of the erected gin pole to the mast after the latter has been swung upward and back to the gin pole by means of said traveling block and sling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

